Applications for the 2026–27 programme are closed.

• BPYAP courses are designed for exceptional emerging artists who are coming to the end of their formal education, or at the beginning of their professional career.
• We accept applications internationally. We have no requirements around nationality or residence to apply.  
• You must be 18 years old or over at the time of application to be considered. This includes every member of a chamber ensemble.
• There is no upper age limit to apply. We recognise that being early-career looks different for everyone, and we actively encourage applications from those who may have taken non-traditional routes in their training.
• At Britten Pears Arts, we strongly believe in equal opportunities for all and understand that diversity strengthens and enriches us as an organisation. We take pride in the BPYAP being an accessible programme, and positively encourage applications from early career artists of all backgrounds, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, neurodivergence, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.
• Whether you have been successful or not in previous years, you can apply for the programme multiple times.

• Applications must be submitted through the online application portal. Materials sent via email will not be considered.
• Please contact us if you need to make any part of your application in a different way due to your access needs. Examples of this could be video recording or voice notes instead of a written CV.  
• There is no application fee.
• You should carefully check the application requirements for your specific course before beginning your application - details can be found below.
• The application portal allows you to work on your application and then go back to it later, so you do not need to complete your application all at once.  
• You can apply for multiple courses each year, but only one at a time. This is because each course requires a tailored application. If you want to apply for more than one course, you must finish and submit one application before starting the next. 

All applicants will need to complete the application form and submit the following: 

• A scan of your passport or another form of ID
• An up-to-date biography or CV
• Up to three video/audio recordings showing your work (performers must include at least one video recording. Composers may submit only audio recordings or a mixture of both. Conductors must submit only video recordings). These recordings may be taken on a smartphone, and do not need to be of professional quality. Please make sure that your recordings are relevant to the course you are applying for, considering the course-specific requirements below. We do not have a fixed limit on how recent your recordings should have been taken, however they should be an accurate representation of your current work/level.
• An “about me” video: One video of no more than 3 minutes, of you talking to camera. This is a chance for us to get to know you and what’s important to you as an artist. You should talk about why you’re interested in the course and how you think it would help with your development as an artist. 

All recordings must be sent as a streaming link via sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Soundcloud or Google Drive. Make sure the access permissions are set so anyone with a link can view the videos up until the 17 June 2026.  

Due to the nature of the reviewing process, we are unable to download and store recordings from sites such as WeTransfer or Dropbox. 

Britten Pears Festival Academy

Submit up to three recordings (video/audio as stated above) that demonstrate your artistic personality and ability in art song. Singers should show their skills in at least two languages. 

Britten Pears Summer Academy (pianists)

Submit three recordings, at least one of which demonstrates your ability and interest in repertoire from the 20th or 21st centuries. Both solo and chamber music recordings are acceptable. 

Britten Pears Summer Academy (string quartets)

Submit three recordings, at least one of which demonstrates your ability and interest in repertoire from the 20th or 21st centuries.  

Composition and Performance (instrumentalists)

Submit up to three recordings that demonstrate your ability and interest in contemporary music. This should cover extended techniques and auxiliary instruments where applicable (i.e doubling instruments for woodwind).  

Composition and Performance (pianists)

Submit up to three recordings that demonstrate your ability and interest in contemporary music. Where possible, these should cover a variety of settings, including collaborative work with singers, chamber music or large ensemble playing.  

Composition and Performance (singers)

Submit up to three recordings that demonstrate your ability and interest in opera and song repertoire from the 20th and 21st centuries. These should also showcase your technical capabilities in contemporary techniques (e.g. atonality, Sprechstimme or repertoire using modern notation). 

Composition and Performance (composers)

Submit up to three examples of your work (PDF scores) that demonstrate your current level of expertise. Where possible, this can be supported by up to three audio or video recordings of your work. Scans of handwritten scores are welcome. 

Composition and Performance (conductors)

Submit up to three video recordings of yourself conducting an orchestra or other ensemble, at least one of which should be of contemporary repertoire. 

Chamber Music in Residence

Submit up to three recordings (video/audio as stated above) of your ensemble that showcase your ability and repertoire interests. Your ‘about me’ video should cover how you would like to use the residency time.

• Applications must be submitted before 1pm (UK Time) on 30 January 2026
• Please check your application carefully before submitting. We are unable to edit your application once it has been submitted. This includes changing the links to your recordings or ‘about me’ video.  
• Reasonable extensions to the deadline may be given on a case-by-case basis, providing we receive the request at least 72 hours prior to the original deadline.
• You should plan to submit your application in good time before the deadline to account for slow internet or other last-minute problems. We are unable to give extensions due to technology faults. 

• All applications are reviewed by our rotating panel of internationally recognised artists, staff at Britten Pears Arts and individuals from other partner organisations.  
• The full list of reviewers are listed below.
• Each reviewer will mark the suitability of applicants in their discipline and provide comments on the quality of their work/performance, breadth of experience and anything else appropriate.
• All reviewers will need to watch at least 3 – 5 minutes of the total application material submitted per applicant, including an appropriate amount of each submitted link.
• Bias will not be shown towards applicants who have submitted professional quality recordings, or against those who have filmed with more basic equipment. This will only be considered when a poor-quality recording inhibits a reviewer’s ability to reasonably assess an applicant.
• Reviewers will be expected to read the submitted biography/CV and watch an appropriate amount of the “about me” video. We would expect each application to take approximately 15 minutes to review.  
• Reviewers cannot see each other’s comments.
• Any conflicts of interest will be declared in a reviewer’s comments, including if they are, or have been, a teacher of any applicants.  
• Reviewers will be consulted during the shortlist and selection process. Comments from reviewers regarding standard of work, suitability to the opportunity, career level and standard of application are the basis of decisions.

Our application reviewers for 2026/27 are:

Britten Pears Festival Academy 
James Baillieu (singers and pianists)
Caroline Dowdle (singers and pianists)
Britten Pears Summer Academy
Ryan Wigglesworth (pianists and string quartets)
Barnabas Kelemen & Katalin Kokas (string quartets)
Chamber Music in Residence
Jane Atkins
James Baillieu
Melinda Maxwell
Ryan Wigglesworth

Composition & Performance 
Colin Matthews & Joanna Lee (composers longlist)
Mark-Anthony Turnage, Helen Grime & Jonathan Berman (composer shortlist)
Claire Booth (singers)
Jacqueline Shave (strings)
Ellie Blamires (woodwind)
Richard Watkins (brass)
Huw Watkins (piano)
Sam Walton (percussion)
Miriam Keogh (harp)
Jonathan Berman (conductors)

We will provide results to all applicants by 3pm on 1 April 2026.

All successful and reserve applicants will receive written feedback on their application to aid in preparation for their prospective or potential place on a course. Unsuccessful applicants can receive feedback upon request. Feedback will be sent before the 30 April 2026.

If you have any other questions about your application, please email us.*

*Please note our office is closed for Christmas from 23 December – 4 January. Any messages sent over this period will be dealt with on the week beginning 5 January.  

Book a meeting to discuss your application

If you would prefer to discuss questions about your application via video call, you can book a 15-minute 1:1 meeting. Spaces are limited, so we won’t be able to offer sessions to all applicants. If you have any access requirement, please let us know in the relevant section of the form. 

Sessions will be offered within the below time slots (UK Time):

18 December 2pm – 3.30pm
19 December 10am – 11.30am
5 January 12pm – 1pm & 4.15pm – 5.15pm
6 January 11am – 12.30pm
9 January 3pm – 4.30pm
14 January 10am – 11am & 12pm – 1pm
15 January 3.30pm – 5pm
19 January 2pm – 3.30pm
22 January 3pm – 4.30pm
23 January 10am – 11.30am 

Book a session.